Symptoms of Eating Disorders

If you have this disorder, you see yourself as overweight even though you are dangerously thin. The process of eating becomes an obsession. You develop unusual eating habits, such as avoiding food and meals, picking out a few foods and eating these in small quantities, or carefully weighing and portioning food. You may repeatedly check your body weight and engage in other techniques to control your weight, such as intense and compulsive exercise or purging. Purging can be done by vomiting or by abusing laxatives, enemas, and diuretics. Girls with
anorexia
often experience a delayed onset of their first menstrual period.
Your height may also be lower than it should.

The course and outcome of anorexia nervosa varies among people. Some recover fully after a single episode, some have a pattern of weight gain and relapse, and others have the illness over many years.

In
bulimia, binge-eating episodes are followed by purging or exercise. Therefore, you may weigh within the normal range for your age and height. However, like individuals with anorexia, you may fear gaining weight, desire to lose weight, and feel intensely dissatisfied with your body. You may binge and purge in secrecy, feeling disgusted and ashamed when you binge, yet relieved after you purge.

Behavioral symptoms include:

Eating large amounts of food at one time and, as a result, often spending a great deal of money on food

Cuts or scars on back of hands from scraping skin on teeth during forced vomiting

Bulimia can lead to other problems including:

Dental and throat problems from stomach acid that rises during vomiting

Changes in body chemistry and fluids due to vomiting and abuse of laxatives or water pills

Symptoms of these complications include:

Lightheadedness

Feeling faint

Extreme thirst

Muscle cramps

Weakness

Constipation

Irregular heartbeat

Heart problems

If you have
binge eating disorder, you experience frequent episodes of out-of-control eating along with the same binge eating symptoms as those with bulimia. The main difference is that you do not purge. Therefore, you may be overweight for your age and height. Feelings of self-disgust and shame associated with this illness can lead to recurrent binging.

Symptoms include:

Recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterized by eating an excessive amount of food and by a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode

The binge-eating episodes are associated with at least three of the following:

Eating much more rapidly than normal

Eating until feeling uncomfortably full

Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry

Eating alone because of embarrassment about how much you are eating

Feeling disgusted with yourself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating

Distress about the binge eating behavior

The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months

The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate behaviors such as purging, fasting, or excessive exercise

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.